Carmichael Arena

William Donald Carmichael, Jr. Arena is a multi-purpose arena in on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. It is home to four Tar Heels athletic teams: women's basketball, volleyball, women's gymnastics, and wrestling. It is named for William Donald Carmichael, Jr., a popular former school vice-president and brother of All-America basketball player Cartwright Carmichael.

Although there had been concerns as early as the late 1940s that the men's basketball team's needed a new home to replace 6,000-seat Woollen Gymnasium, the need for a larger arena had become acute by the 1960s with the team's growing popularity. The Tar Heels were forced to move home games to Charlotte or Greensboro, which were more than double Woollen's size.

However, the state was unwilling to fund a completely new arena. As a result, Carmichael Auditorium was built as an annex to Woollen; it shares the older facility's eastern wall. It originally seated just over 8,800 people, but was expanded to 10,000 seats in 1976.

Carmichael was known as one of the loudest arenas in the country while the Tar Heel men played there, largely because of a low roof and a student section that ringed the court. In part due to this formidable home court advantage, the men had a record of 169–20 (.894) in just over 20 seasons there. Dean Smith was the Tar Heels' coach for their entire tenure in Carmichael. The Tar Heels won their second NCAA title in 1981–82, while playing at the arena.

In their last game at Carmichael, the North Carolina Tar Heels beat the North Carolina State Wolfpack 90–79 on January 4, 1986. The team moved to the Dean Smith Center two weeks later. After a remodeling project completed in 2009, capacity is 8,010.

A new floor was installed in 1998, after a roof fire that occurred in February during renovations. The arena was completely remodeled beginning in spring 2008, and the women's team joined the men in the Dean Smith Center until completion in December 2009. The facility was officially renamed Carmichael Arena during the women's team's matchup against rival Duke on February 28, 2010.

The men's team played their first round home game of the 2010 National Invitation Tournament at Carmichael because renovations were taking place at the Smith Center. On March 16, 2010, they defeated William & Mary in their first official game at Carmichael in 24 years. Coincidentally, William & Mary was the first-ever opponent for the men's basketball team in Carmichael Arena in 1965. In December 2019, due to a scheduling conflict with the university's fall commencement, the Carolina men's basketball team played their first regular season game in Carmichael since moving to the Smith Center full-time in 1986 against the Wofford Terriers, losing 68–64.

The arena hosted a speech by President Barack Obama on April 24, 2012.

See also

* List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas

References

Bibliography

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External links

Carmichael Arena page on University of North Carolina Athletics website

{{North Carolina NCAA Division I women's college volleyball venues navbox

College basketball venues in the United States
College gymnastics venues in the United States
College wrestling venues in the United States
College volleyball venues in the United States
North Carolina Tar Heels basketball venues
Basketball venues in North Carolina
Sports venues completed in 1965
1965 establishments in North Carolina